If at the end of a race you know yourself that you have done your best, you're a winner.

Several of my critics have said, 'Bowerman just tacks up a piece of paper in the locker room and turns his runners loose.' They're partially right. I do give the athletes a relatively free rein and for good reason. One of my principles is? 'Don't overcoach.'

A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils. But while runners differ, basic principles never change. So it's a matter of fitting your current practices to fit the event and the individual. See, what's good for you might not be worth a darn for the next guy.

Don't give anything away. Never make it easy for the guys you are trying to beat.

God determines how fast you're going to run; I can help only with the mechanics.

If at the end of a race you know yourself that you have done your best, you're a winner.

Now to explore the limits of the one competitor above everyone else you've always loved to face: Steve Prefontaine.